The MacDougall surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,296 people carried this name — #7,725 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 68,500 people counted. That is up 4% from 4,143 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the MacDougall surname

A Scottish surname from Scottish Gaelic.

Scottish Gaelic Mac (“son of”) + Dougal.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «MacDougall» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Scotland’s registers today

MacDougall was recorded 47 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 555th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 90. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

MacDougall in American newspapers,
1913–1919.

Newspaper page from The News-herald carrying the name MacDougall
The News-herald 1913-08-14
Newspaper page from Evening Public Ledger carrying the name MacDougall
Evening Public Ledger 1919-02-03
Newspaper page from Evening Journal carrying the name MacDougall
Evening Journal 1916-04-25

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 12,069 pages in all carry the name.

In print

MacDougall in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1990s.

6,688 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss MacDougall. The most, 2,084, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Australian Capital Territory, at 1.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 2,526
Victoria 1,539
Queensland 1,085
South Australia 549
Western Australia 489
Tasmania 361
ACT (Canberra) 103
Northern Territory 6

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss MacDougall.

Who carried it

People named MacDougall,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Duncan MacDougall
    Duncan MacDougall 1866–1920 · psychiatrist
  • William Dugald MacDougall
    William Dugald MacDougall 1868–1943 · military personnel
  • Patrick Leonard MacDougall
    Patrick Leonard MacDougall 1819–1894 · military personnel
  • Ranald MacDougall 1915–1973 · film producer
  • William Brown Macdougall 1868–1936 · wood engraver
  • Roger MacDougall 1910–1993 · director

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0.

In the public record

People named MacDougall,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States796 records

796 records of the MacDougall name in the United States
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 391
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 159
  • Other U.S. records 246
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Robert H. MacDougall

    Born 1919 in Rhode Island. Enlisted 1944 at Fort Devens, Massachusetts; mechanic. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at St Jean Baptiste Cemetery, Warren, Rhode Island.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Bernard A. MacDougall

    Born 1932; from Norfolk County, Massachusetts. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; declared dead 1950 in North Korea.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John MacDougall

    Arrived at New York in 1871 aboard the City of Baltimore from Halifax and Liverpool, aged 27; laborer. From England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 796 records for MacDougall in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada1,592 records

1,592 records of the MacDougall name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 1,480
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 48
  • Other Canadian records 64
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Peter MacDougall

    Killed in 1934 at the Inverness No. 1 mine, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Harry Eldon MacDougall

    Buried in 1991 at Mount Hermon Cemetery, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, aged 86.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Daniel Herbert MacDougall

    Died in service in 1918.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 1,592 records for MacDougall in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Australia323 records

323 records of the MacDougall name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 145
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 71
  • Other Australian records 107
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Hugh Campbell MacDougall

    Died 1913 in General Hospital, Launceston, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1913.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record William Arthur MacDougall

    Married 1876 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 26. Died 1930 in Tasmania, aged 81.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Margaret MacDougall

    Arrived in Victoria in 1909 aboard the Mantua, aged 44.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 323 records for MacDougall in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

United Kingdom40 records

40 records of the MacDougall name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 22
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 13
  • Other British records 5
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Alexander Donald MacDougall

    Born 1886 at Craggan; clerk. Served in the First World War. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Gordon MacDougall

    Died 1990, aged 50; buried at Drymen Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth MacDougall

    Buried in 1823 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 63.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 40 records for MacDougall in the United Kingdom.

Counts: Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

New Zealand13 records

13 records of the MacDougall name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 12
  • Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Eathorne MacDougall

    Died 1946, aged 75; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Cherie Kay MacDougall

    Born 1964, died 1997; buried at Rangiora Lawn Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Florence Evelyn MacDougall

    Died 1962, aged 64; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 13 records for MacDougall in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands2 records

2 records of the MacDougall name in the Netherlands Dutch population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Lorna Kathleen Mary Mac Dougall

    In the population register of 's-Gravenhage; born 1913 in Armagh.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Elisabeth Mac Dougall

    In a population register; born 1857 in Greenock.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

France1 record

1 record of the MacDougall name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Francis Melvin MacDougall

    Born 1949 in Canada; died 1998 in Aubagne (Bouches-du-Rhône).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to MacDougall.

When the index is not enough

This page says where MacDougall is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the MacDougall volume
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